from experience, or knowledge - do ES 300's (mine's a 97) have a problem with this? is it okay to downshift manually, especially toggling between overdrive on/off, to utilize engine breaking? or might this be detrimental in some way or other.....?

 

I have some experience with this on my RX. When I run through the quarter mile, I have overdrive off and PWR button on, but after I cross the line, I switch back on the overdrive and turn off the PWR. Can't say that it really (more so in the case of the overdrive) slows me down.

I have hardly ever downshifted from D.

 

what you are talking about has nothing to do what he is talking about, when OD is on there is an extra gear, when OD is off you have one less gear. to down shift with OD turn it off and engine breaking will be applied. after you cross the line there is no point of turning back on over drive since you will not even be using your top gear. i use engine breaking in my 05 all the time, from 5-4-3 on stops, 5-4 only when i just need to slow down.

 

I'm not sure how different the '93's are from the '97's but I did exactly that ( use the OD button to force a shift from 4th to 3rd, and the shift lever to shift down to 2nd)and it cost me my transmission clutches and eventually a replacement transmission.

I'd say it was detrimental!.....Sure felt good though

 

I would hedge a bet that the transmission fluid is dark or black...

This action would distroy a transmission over time. It's just not designed to be a manual or racing transmission. Buy a manual if you have the need to downshift.... Buy a
B&M if you need to race.

And the engine seals take a beating when you force a downshift. It's not a good idea to drive with overdrive off continually, since the engine feels more responsive by over reving..

Do yourself a favor and save this type of driving for rental cars...

 

If you insist on manually shifting the transmission, do your transmission a favor and buy a trans cooler if its not already equipped with one from the factory.

 

Uhhh, are we talking about manual or automatic?

He mentioned toggling O/D.

 

automatic, toggling O/D, as stated OD off gives you one less gear, OD on gives you an extra gear. if you want to downshift you would put OD off. OD on for normal driving.

 

Ok.
1) The factory service manuals show that on almost all Toyota transmissions, turning overdrive on, OR off does NOT affect the shift range that the transmission will shift in.
There is no point in turning overdrive off down a 1/4 mile stretch, as I can't name a single car on a stock A/T transmission that can run a 1/4 mile @ the 105-115mph needed to shift into overdrive.

2) There is no difference for the transmission in shifting the transmission yourself, or letting the transmission itself do it for you.
A) The difference is that when shifting in the first two gears manually, the fluid is routed through the small manual valve body, instead of the fully automatic valve body. The fluid pressure remains the same to shift so there is no benefit, nor longevity concern.
B) The stock transmission shift points are fine for the shape of the stock engine powerbands. Holding gears much longer simply throws you off the other side of the powerband, and slows you down just as much as early shifting.

texrexlex There is nothing wrong with it. Minus flogging around a race track in the first three gears where the heavy fwd engine drag helps unbalance the car to setup oversteer, just use the brake pedal man. That's what it's there for.

 

Thank you, this was (above) what i was after. i was just trying to figure out it it was beneficial for the brakes, yet not detrimental to the transmission.

I guess it's something only to do every once in a great while, when it is very necessary. otherwise, as phoenix says, "just use the brakes."

thanks! I don't be doin' dat anymo.

 

thanks. i'm not goona do it anymore. cuz i don't wanna end up like that <--

 

hahaz i can legally downshift!

 

Provided you're not accellerating the torque covertor. The fluid temperature isn't going to sky rocket while you're doing it. If you're racing alot, or jsut really smart. Flush the fluid every other year, or drain & fill the pan every oil change (& still flush it every few years). & Install a transmission cooler.
Until you're talking power levels way over stock, the transmission life is nothing more than simply "keep the clutches from slipping". Which in our case, barring some un-common random failure, boils down to nothing much more than keep fresh fluid in the transmission in roughly the correct amount.

 

Pheonix,

For some reason, every time I run tests, the O/D off on my RX, always leads to a better ET, whether with PWR on or off, including the 60 foot times.

 

Does not use the ES/Camry platform transmission. I'm just speaking for "our" shift patterns. If you look in your specific transmission manual, it will list the minimum/maximum speeds to upshift/downshift.